airway

noun

air·​way ˈer-ˌwā 

1

: a passage for a current of air (as in a mine or to the lungs)

2

: a designated route along which airplanes fly from airport to airport

especially : such a route equipped with navigational aids

3

: airline

4

: a channel of a designated radio frequency for broadcasting or other radio communication

Examples of airway in a Sentence

a patient with a partially blocked airway

Recent Examples on the Web

Ocon took her 3-year-old daughter to the hospital last summer after tear gas, in the parking area beneath her apartment, seeped up into her unit, compromising both her and her daughter’s airways. —Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026

Barry comes in with an upper-airway obstruction after eating breakfast. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026

The Sac Metro Air District says fine particulate matter pollutants pose the greatest health threats due to their possibility of entering the bloodstream and settling deep in the lung’s airways. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026

Peppermint Peppermint tea may be helpful as an expectorant, clearing mucus from your airways. —Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 13 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing airway

• bilevel positive airway pressure
• continuous positive airway pressure

Rhymes for airway

• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret
• betray

Kids Definition

airway

noun

air·​way -ˌwā 

1

: a passage for a current of air

especially : one through which air passes to and from the lungs

2

: a regular route for aircraft

especially : one equipped with aids for guiding aircraft

3

: airline

Medical Definition

airway

noun

air·​way -ˌwā 

: a passageway for air into or out of the lungs

specifically : a device passed into the trachea by way of the mouth or nose or through an incision to maintain a clear respiratory passageway (as during anesthesia, convulsions, or in obstructive laryngitis) see upper airway